The effect of environmental change on human migration

The influence of the environment and environmental change is largely unrepresented in standard theories of migration, whilst recent debates on climate change and migration focus almost entirely on displacement and perceive migration to be a problem. Drawing on an increasing evidence base that has assessed elements of the influence of the environment on migration, this paper presents a new framework for understanding the effect of environmental change on migration. The framework identifies five families of drivers which affect migration decisions: economic, political, social, demographic and environmental drivers. The environment drives migration through mechanisms characterised as the availability and reliability of ecosystem services and exposure to hazard. Individual migration decisions and flows are affected by these drivers operating in combination, and the effect of the environment is therefore highly dependent on economic, political, social and demographic context. Environmental change has the potential to affect directly the hazardousness of place. Environmental change also affects migration indirectly, in particular through economic drivers, by changing livelihoods for example, and political drivers, through affecting conflicts over resources, for example. The proposed framework, applicable to both international and internal migration, emphasises the role of human agency in migration decisions, in particular the linked role of family and household characteristics on the one hand, and barriers and facilitators to movement on the other in translating drivers into actions. The framework can be used to guide new research, assist with the evaluation of policy options, and provide a context for the development of scenarios representing a range of plausible migration futures.     

Syn‐sedimentary salt diapirism as a control on fluvial‐system evolution: an example from the proximal Permian Cutler Group,SE Utah,USA

Loading of subsurface salt during accumulation of fluvial strata can result in halokinesis and the growth of salt pillows, walls and diapirs. Such movement may eventually result in the formation of salt‐walled mini‐basins, whose style of architectural infill may be used to infer both the relative rates of salt‐wall growth and sedimentation and the nature of the fluvial‐system response to salt movement. The Salt Anticline Region of the Paradox Basin of SE Utah comprises a series of elongate salt‐walled mini‐basins, arranged in a NW‐trending array. The bulk of salt movement occurred during deposition of the Permian Cutler Group, a wedge of predominantly quartzo‐feldspathic clastic strata comprising sediment derived from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the NE. The sedimentary architecture of selected mini‐basin fills has been determined at high resolution through outcrop study. Mini‐basin centres are characterized by multi‐storey fluvial channel elements arranged into stacked channel complexes, with only limited preservation of overbank elements. At mini‐basin margins, thick successions of fluvial overbank and sheet‐like elements dominate in rim‐syncline depocentres adjacent to salt walls; many such accumulations are unconformably overlain by single‐storey fluvial channel elements that accumulated during episodes of salt‐wall breaching. The absence of gypsum clasts suggests that sediment influx was high, preventing syn‐sedimentary surface exposure of salt. Instead, fluvial breaching of salt‐generated topography reworked previously deposited sediments of the Cutler Group atop growing salt walls. Palaeocurrent data indicate that fluvial palaeoflow to the SW early in the history of basin infill was subsequently diverted to the W and ultimately to the NW as the salt walls grew to form topographic barriers. Late‐stage retreat of the Cutler fluvial system coincided with construction and accumulation of an aeolian system, recording a period of heightened climatic aridity. Aeolian sediments are preserved in the lees of some salt walls, demonstrating that halokinesis played a complex role in the differential trapping of sediment.     

Geological interpretation of current subsidence and uplift in the London area,UK, as shown by high precision satellite-based surveying

Long term planning for flood risk management in coastal areas requires timely and reliable information on changes in land and sea levels. A high resolution map of current changes in land levels in the London and Thames estuary area has been generated by satellite-based persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI), aligned to absolute gravity (AG) and global positioning system (GPS) measurements. This map has been qualitatively validated by geological interpretation, which demonstrates a variety of controlling influences on the rates of land level change, ranging from near-surface to deep-seated mechanisms and from less than a decade to more than 100,000 years’ duration.     

Distinct styles of fluvial deposition in a Cambrian rift basin

Process‐based and facies models to account for the origin of pre‐vegetation (i.e. pre‐Silurian) preserved fluvial sedimentary architectures remain poorly defined in terms of their ability to account for the nature of the fluvial conditions required to accumulate and preserve architectural elements in the absence of the stabilizing influence of vegetation. In pre‐vegetation fluvial successions, the repeated reworking of bars and minor channels that resulted in the generation and preservation of broad, tabular, stacked sandstone‐sheets has been previously regarded as the dominant sedimentary mechanism. This situation is closely analogous to modern‐day poorly vegetated systems developed in arid climatic settings. However, this study demonstrates the widespread presence of substantially more complex stratigraphic architectures. The Guarda Velha Formation of Southern Brazil is a >500 m‐thick synrift fluvial succession of Cambrian age that records the deposits and sedimentary architecture of three distinct fluvial successions: (i) an early rift‐stage system characterized by coarse‐grained channel elements indicative of a distributive pattern with flow transverse to the basin axis; and two coeval systems from the early‐ to climax‐rift stages that represent (ii) an axially directed, trunk fluvial system characterized by large‐scale amalgamated sandy braid‐bar elements, and (iii) a distributive fluvial system characterized by multi‐storey, sandy braided‐channel elements that flowed transverse to the basin axis. Integration of facies and architectural‐element analysis with regional stratigraphic basin analysis, palaeocurrent and pebble‐provenance analysis demonstrates the mechanisms responsible for preserving the varied range of fluvial architectures present in this pre‐vegetation, rift‐basin setting. Identified major controls that influenced pre‐vegetation fluvial sedimentary style include: (i) spatial and temporal variation in discharge regime; (ii) the varying sedimentological characteristics of distinct catchment areas; (iii) the role of tectonic basin configuration and its direct role in influencing palaeoflow direction and fluvial style, whereby both the axial and transverse fluvial systems undertook a distinctive response to syn‐depositional movement on basin‐bounding faults. Detailed architectural analyses of these deposits reveal significant variations in geometry, with characteristics considerably more complex than that of simple, laterally extensive, stacked sandstone‐sheets predicted by most existing depositional models for pre‐vegetation fluvial systems. These results suggest that the sheet‐braided style actually encompasses a varied number of different pre‐vegetation fluvial styles. Moreover, this study demonstrates that contemporaneous axial and transverse fluvial systems with distinctive architectural expressions can be preserved in the same overall tectonic and climatic setting.     

Measurement requirements for a Near-Earth Asteroid impact mitigation demonstration mission

A concept for an Impact Mitigation Preparation Mission, called Don Quijote, is to send two spacecrafts to a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA): an Orbiter and an Impactor. The Impactor collides with the asteroid while the Orbiter measures the resulting change in the asteroid's orbit, by means of a Radio Science Experiment (RSE) carried out before and after the impact. Three parallel Phase A studies on Don Quijote were carried out for the European Space Agency: the research presented here reflects the outcomes of the study by QinetiQ. We discuss the mission objectives with regard to the prioritisation of payload instruments, with emphasis on the interpretation of the impact. The Radio Science Experiment is described and it is examined how solar radiation pressure may increase the uncertainty in measuring the orbit of the target asteroid. It is determined that to measure the change in orbit accurately a thermal IR spectrometer is mandatory, to measure the Yarkovsky effect. The advantages of having a laser altimeter are discussed. The advantages of a dedicated wide-angle impact camera are discussed and the field-of-view is initially sized through a simple model of the impact.     

A CORINE map of Great Britain by automated means. Techniques for automatic generalization of the Land Cover Map of Great Britain.

Abstract

The European Commission (EC) programme ‘Co–ordination of Information on the Environment’ (CORINE) includes a project to map the land cover of member states. The CORINE map is essentially one which combines land cover and land use, giving 44 separate classes, in vector, displayed at a scale of 1:100000 with a minimum mappable unit of 25 ha. The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (ITE) has compiled a digital land cover map of Great Britain (LCMGB) from classification of Landsat–TM data, resampled to a 25 m raster, with a minimum mappable unit of 0.125 ha and 25 cover types. This paper describes a pilot study which demonstrates the successful spatial generalisation with contextual interpretation to convert the LCMGB to CORINE specifications using semi–automated techniques within a GIS environment.     

Timing of uplift and evolution of the Lüliang Mountains,North China Craton

This study analyses evidence for reformed basin development and basin-mountain coupling associated with development of the Ordos Basin and the Lüliang Mountains, China. Gaining an improved understanding of the timing and nature of uplift and evolution of the Lüliang Mountains is important for the reconstruction of the eastern sedimentary boundary of the Ordos Basin(a major petroliferous basin) as well as for providing insight into the evolution and breakup of the North China Craton(NCC). Based on systematic sampling for fission track analysis, it is suggested that the main phase of uplift of the Lüliang Mountains occurred since later part of the Early Cretaceous. Three evolutionary stages of uplift and development are identified: slow initial uplift(120–65 Ma), accelerated uplift(65–23 Ma), and intensive uplift(23 Ma to present), with the majority of the uplift activity having occurred during the Cenozoic. The history of uplift is non-equilibrium and exhibits complexity in temporal and spatial aspects. The middle and northern parts of the Lüliang Mountains were uplifted earlier than the southern part. The most intensive episode of uplift activity commenced in the Miocene and was associated with a genetic coupling relationship with the eastern neighboring Cenozoic Shanxi Grabens. The uplifting and evolutionary processes of the Lüliang Mountains area since later part of the Early Cretaceous share a unified regional geodynamic setting, which was accompanied by uplift of the Mesozoic Ordos Basin and development of the neighboring Cenozoic Shanxi Grabens. Collectively, this regional orogenic activity is related principally to the far-field effects of both the compression sourced from the southwestern Tibet Plateau and westward subduction of the Pacific Plate in Cenozoic.     

北喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩地球化学: 区域对比、岩石成因及其构造意义

北喜马拉雅出露一系列片麻岩穹窿,这些穹窿被形成于27.5～10Ma的淡色花岗岩侵入.淡色花岗岩的岩石类型为二云母花岗岩,它们的主量元素组成为SiO2=70.97%～74.54%、K2O+Na2O=6.27%～8.09%、K2O/Na2O=0.91～1.36及A/CNK=1.10～1.33.然而,它们在微量元素组成上呈现出较大的变化:Rb=(41～322)×10-6、Sr=(26～139)×10-6、Ba=(135～594)×10-6、(La/Yb)N=0.97～17.31、Eu/Eu=0.29～0.72.北喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩的主量元素和微量元素组成特征类似于高喜马拉雅中新世的二云母花岗岩,而在Ti、Mg、Ca、Ba含量和Rb/Sr比值上明显不同于高喜马拉雅中新世的电气石-白云母花岗岩.北喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩(87Sr/86Sr)t=0.7344～0.8503(t=10Ma),εNd(10Ma)=-12.5～-19.3,与高喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩无明显差异.在岩石成因上,北喜马拉雅和高喜马拉雅中新世淡色花岗岩均起因于构造减压作用,由此导致白云母发生脱水反应诱发高喜马拉雅结晶岩系的深熔.但北喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩形成的地质背景明显不同于高喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩,前者具有较长的时间跨度,开始形成于喜马拉雅渐新世的地壳增厚期,之后形成于中新世穹窿片麻岩的折返时期,而高喜马拉雅淡色花岗岩与中新世高喜马拉雅结晶岩系的构造挤出作用有关.因此,北喜马拉雅和高喜马拉雅淡色